Day 1: Lake Tabeud, Pine Grove

     I love to bird. That being said I don't consider myselfa true "birder". Achille, my husband, once went on a pelagic trip off the Humboldt coast and was nearly shoved overboard by a birder who thought he saw a sooty shearwater. I'm not quite so gung-ho, I've never caused anyone any physical harm as far as I know. Also I don't have a degree in ornithology or wildlife, nor have ever actually taken any wildlife courses that focused on birds. All my knowledge of birds is based on several things:

• David Sibley's Birds of Western North America,
• Collins Birds of New Zealand by Chloë Talbot Kelly
• National Geographic Complete Bird of North America
• Grzimek's Animal Encyclopedia: Birds
• I'm married to a wildlife biologist

             There are some things that prevent us from engaging a full on Big Year:

• We're a relatively young couple with an 18 month old son, so mobility and responsibilities limit travel.
• We're poor. Not living-living-in-a-box poor, but close enough

    So I'm limiting the big year to certain areas only, that is to mean Amador County California where we live, Humboldt County, California where we met and went to college and still visit, San Mateo County, California where my family lives, Grant County, New Mexico where Achille's parents live and possibly even New Zealand, where my mother and step-father live.

     Today, June 14th 2011, is the start of my little big year. Starting at beautiful Lake Tabeud in Pine Grove. Locke, my son, and I started out early to try to avoid the heat of the day, but it was already 85°  at 10 a.m. Luckily most of the trail around the lake is shady and exposed areas are open to breezes . We didn't spot anything new to us but did catch sight of a Bewick's wren that Achille and I had spotted for the first time on a previous trip to the lake. The usual suspects were all out and we racked up a decent start to the year.

• Bewick's Wren 
• Lesser Goldfinch
• California Towhee
• Spotted Towhee
• Acorn Woodpecker
• Osprey
• Mallard
• American Robin
• Common Raven
• Stellar's Jay
• Anna's Hummingbird
• Brown-headed cowbird
• European Starling
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Turkey Vulture
• Oak Titmouse
• Tree Swallow
• Yellow-billed Magpie
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Black Phoebe

After we got home Locke took his nap and I was able to add a couple more birds to the list just looking out the back window:

• White-bellied Nuthatch
• Brewer's Blackbird 
• Western King Bird
• Western Bluebird
• Northern Mockingbird
• Bullock's Oriole

Now we're off to Howard Park to boost the list and to get the sillies out.

Howard Park was hot but quite busy so birding was difficult as it looked like I was staring at people through binoculars.

• House Finch
• Red-winged Blackbird

 

So over all a good day with 28 species down.